1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mobile electronic apparatus (e.g., internet appliances such as cell phones, mobile electronic information terminals, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)) having an attachment part (battery pack, etc.) detachably attached to the electronic apparatus and also relates to a battery pack for the electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multifunctional mobile electronic apparatus (various types of potable electronic information terminals and cell phones) nowadays not only function as electronic notepads or telephones but also receive/transmit electronic information and image information via wired/wireless networks. Further, such mobile electronic apparatus can also be used in bank account settlement, electronic commerce, or securities trading. For realizing these varying functions in one mobile electronic apparatus, various types of applications are started or executed in the mobile electronic apparatus.
When such applications are started or executed in the mobile electronic apparatus, an ID and a password must be input for each application. Likewise, when bank account settlement or electronic commerce is made, a bank account number and a personal identification number (PIN) must be input.
In general, ID and bank account number are previously stored in a memory or the like so that the user is unnecessary to input such numbers by himself/herself, while the password and the PIN must be input by the user with push or touch buttons (ten keys) for verifying the user.
Further, mobile electronic information terminals, cell phones in particular, nowadays serve as phone books and communicators for sending and receiving electronic-mail messages. In conventional apparatus, phone-book data or electronic-mail massages are input by the user with push or touch buttons (ten keys). As provided originally for the purpose of inputting telephone numbers, such touch buttons are inconvenient in use for inputting letters or characters because some troublesome procedures, namely, pressing the same key several times, are required.
As described above, user verification is carried out by inputting passwords or personal identification numbers (PINs) in the conventional mobile electronic apparatus. Yet many of users tend to use a string of characters or digits that are relevant to their personal peripheral data (for example, the user's or family member's name or birthday, telephone number, favorite word, etc.) as a password or a PIN. Assuming that a mobile electronic apparatus with such passwords or PINs registered is stolen or lost, it is a danger that an unauthorized person might use the apparatus in an evil purpose. Therefore a mobile electronic apparatus with increased security has been cherished.
To resolve this problem, user verification with use of biometric information such as a fingerprint has ever been tarried. As a practical matter, however, it is difficult to introduce such user verification function utilizing biometric information into a huge number of existing mobile electronic apparatus already been widely spread. For instance, if biometric user verification is performed in plural systems, devices and software corresponding to individual types of operation systems are required. In view of cost, however, it would be difficult to provide such devices and software to all those systems.
Despite of the great convenience realized by the function of bank account settlement, electronic commerce, or stock trade equipped in the convention mobile electronic apparatus, there remains a serious problem of poor security. Moreover, because of poor extendability of mobile information terminals, cell phones in particular, it is difficult to add any form of user verification function afterward. Accordingly, in order to realize biometric verification in a mobile electronic apparatus, not an add-on to the mobile electronic apparatus but an independent device for user verification that works in association with the mobile electronic apparatus has been cherished.
Furthermore, in the conventional mobile electronic apparatus, cell phones in particular, because of the use of touch buttons (ten keys), which are originally provided to be used in inputting telephone numbers, in inputting letters or characters, troublesome procedures are necessitated thereby requiring a long time. So, further expansion of the I/O function has long been desired.
For this, there has been longed for an easy way of expansion of the I/O function in existing mobile electronic apparatus, making the apparatus more user-friendly. It is also desired to provide the user verification function of great importance to the existing mobile electronic apparatus in a simple way.
When introducing an additional function into the mobile electronic apparatus such as cell phones and mobile electronic information terminals, an additional apparatus to execute the additional function tends to be connected to the mobile electronic apparatus via a cable so that the use of the mobile electronic information terminal is limited to desktop use despite of its name “mobile”.